Optical Lattice Experiments Research Articles

Excitation of Rydberg Molecules in Ultracold Quantum Gases

Recent experiments in our group on the excitation of Rydberg molecules in ultracold quantum gases have been reviewed. Quantum gases are a well‐suited environment to excite Rydberg molecules, due to the high atomic density and the perfect control of the internal spin degrees of freedom and the center of mass motion of the atoms. In parallel, the coupling to Rydberg molecules can be used to probe and manipulate the interaction in ultracold quantum gases. In this Feature Article, a comprehensive introduction to the field of Rydberg molecules, including ultralong‐range molecules and butterfly molecules is given. The Rydberg molecules have been characterized spectroscopically and their internal spin structure is discussed. Then, it is shown how these Rydberg molecules work as a tool to monitor the double occupancy in optical lattice experiments and to change the inter‐particle interaction with the help of a so‐called optical Feshbach resonance.

Nonlinear standing waves in an array of coherently coupled Bose-Einstein condensates

Stationary solitary waves are studied in an array of $M$ linearly-coupled one-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) by means of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. Solitary wave solutions with the character of overlapping dark solitons, Josephson vortex - antivortex arrays, and arrays of half-dark solitons are constructed for $M>2$ from known solutions for two coupled BECs. Additional solutions resembling vortex dipoles and rarefaction pulses are found numerically. Stability analysis of the solitary waves reveals that overlapping dark solitons can become unstable and susceptible to decay into arrays of Josephson vortices. The Josephson vortex arrays have mixed stability but for all parameters we find at least one stationary solitary wave configuration that is dynamically stable. The different families of nonlinear standing waves bifurcate from one another. In particular we demonstrate that Josephson-vortex arrays bifurcate from dark soliton solutions at instability thresholds. The stability thresholds for dark soliton and Josephson-vortex type solutions are provided, suggesting the feasibility of realization with optical lattice experiments.

Observation and Uses of Position-Space Bloch Oscillations in an Ultracold Gas.

We report the observation and characterization of position-space Bloch oscillations using cold atoms in a tilted optical lattice. While momentum-space Bloch oscillations are a common feature of optical lattice experiments, the real-space center-of-mass dynamics are typically unresolvable. In a regime of rapid tunneling and low force, we observe real-space Bloch oscillation amplitudes of hundreds of lattice sites, in both ground and excited bands. We demonstrate two unique capabilities enabled by tracking of Bloch dynamics in position space: measurement of the full position-momentum phase-space evolution during a Bloch cycle, and direct imaging of the lattice band structure. These techniques, along with the ability to exert long-distance coherent control of quantum gases without modulation, may open up new possibilities for quantum control and metrology.

Phase diagrams and Hofstadter butterflies in the strongly correlated bosonic systems on the lattices with Dirac points

Gauge potentials with different configurations have been recently realized in the optical lattice experiments. It is remarkable that one of the simplest gauge potential can generate particle energy spectrum with the self-similar structure known as a Hofstadter butterfly. We investigate theoretically the impact of strong on-site interaction on such a spectrum in the bosonic Mott insulator within Bose–Hubbard model. In particular, it is shown that the fractal structure is encoded in the quasi-particle and hole bosonic branches for different lattice backgrounds. For example a square lattice and other structures (brick-wall and staggered magnetic flux lattice) which contain Dirac points in energy dispersions are considered. This shows that single-particle physics is still present even in the strong interaction limit for whole Hofstadter spectrum. Additionally we observe, that although in brick-wall and staggered flux lattices the quasi-particle densities of states look qualitatively similar, the corresponding Hofstadter butterfly assumes different forms. In particular, we use a superposition of two different synthetic gauge fields which appears to be a generator of non-trivial phenomena in the optical lattice systems. We also discuss the consequences of these phenomena on the phase diagrams between bosonic Mott insulator and superfluid phase. The analysis is carried out within the strong coupling expansion method on the finite size lattices and also at finite temperatures which are relevant for the currently made experiments.

Effect of boson on-site repulsion on the superfluidity in the boson-fermion-Hubbard model

We analyze the finite-temperature phase diagram of the boson-fermion-Hubbard model with Feshbach converting interaction, using the coherent-state path-integral method. We show that depending on the position of the bosonic band, this type of interaction, even if weak, can drive the system into the resonant superfluid phase in the strong bosonic interaction limit. It turns out that this phase can exist for an arbitrary number of fermions (i.e., fermionic concentration between 0 and 2), but with the bosonic particle number very close to an integer value. We point out that the standard time-of-flight method in optical lattice experiments can be an adequate technique to confirm the existence of this resonant phase. Moreover, in the nonresonant regime, the enhancement of the critical temperature of the superfluid phase due to Feshbach interaction is also observed. We account for this interesting phenomena for a hole- or particlelike pairing mechanism depending on the system density and mutual location of the fermionic and bosonic bands.

Dynamical Disentangling and Cooling of Atoms in Bilayer Optical Lattices.

We show how experimentally available bilayer lattice systems can be used to prepare quantum many-body states with exceptionally low entropy in one layer, by dynamically disentangling the two layers. This disentangling operation moves one layer-subsystem A-into a regime where excitations in A develop a single-particle gap. As a result, this operation maps directly to cooling for subsystem A, with entropy being shuttled to the other layer. For both bosonic and fermionic atoms, we study the corresponding dynamics showing that disentangling can be realized cleanly in ongoing experiments. The corresponding entanglement entropies are directly measurable with quantum gas microscopes, and, as a tool for producing lower-entropy states, this technique opens a range of applications beginning with simplifying production of magnetically ordered states of bosons and fermions.

Enhancing quantum order with fermions by increasing species degeneracy

One of the challenges for fermionic cold atom experiments in optical lattices is to cool the systems to low enough temperature that they can form quantum degenerate ordered phases. In particular, there has been significant work in trying to find the antiferromagnetic phase transition of the Hubbard model in three dimensions, without success. Here, we attack this problem from a different angle by enhancing the ordering temperature via an increase in the degeneracy of the atomic species trapped in the optical lattice. In addition to developing the general theory, we also discuss some potential systems where one might be able to achieve these results experimentally.

Strong coupling phases of the spin-orbit-coupled spin-1 Bose-Hubbard chain: odd integer Mott lobes and helical magnetic phases.

We study the odd integer filled Mott phases of a spin-1 Bose-Hubbard chain and determine their fate in the presence of a Raman induced spin-orbit coupling which has been achieved in ultracold atomic gases; this system is described by a quantum spin-1 chain with a spiral magnetic field. The spiral magnetic field initially induces helical order with either ferromagnetic or dimer order parameters, giving rise to a spiral paramagnet at large field. The spiral ferromagnet-to-paramagnet phase transition is in a novel universality class, with critical exponents associated with the divergence of the correlation length and the order parameter susceptibility . We solve the effective spin model exactly using the density matrix renormalization group, and compare with both a large- classical solution and a phenomenological Landau theory. We discuss how these exotic bosonic magnetic phases can be produced and probed in ultracold atomic experiments in optical lattices.

Efficiency of fermionic quantum distillation

We present a time-dependent density-matrix renormalization group investigation of the quantum distillation process within the Fermi--Hubbard model on a quasi-1D ladder geometry. The term distillation refers to the dynamical, spatial separation of singlons and doublons in the sudden expansion of interacting particles in an optical lattice, i.e., the release of a cloud of atoms from a trapping potential. Remarkably, quantum distillation can lead to a contraction of the doublon cloud, resulting in an increased density of the doublons in the core region compared to the initial state. As a main result, we show that this phenomenon is not limited to chains that were previously studied. Interestingly, there are additional dynamical processes on the two-leg ladder such as density oscillations and selftrapping of defects that lead to a less efficient distillation process. An investigation of the time evolution starting from product states provides an explanation for this behaviour. Initial product states are also considered, since in optical lattice experiments such states are often used as the initial setup. We propose configurations that lead to a fast and efficient quantum distillation.

Numerical results on the short-range spin correlation functions in the ground state of the two-dimensional Hubbard model

Optical lattice experiments with ultracold fermion atoms and quantum gas microscopy have recently realized direct measurements of magnetic correlations at the site-resolved level. We calculate the short-range spin-correlation functions in the ground state of the two-dimensional repulsive Hubbard model with the auxiliary-field quantum Monte Carlo (AFQMC) method. The results are numerically exact at half filling where the fermion sign problem is absent. Away from half filling, we employ the constrained path AFQMC approach to eliminate the exponential computational scaling from the sign problem. The constraint employs unrestricted Hartree-Fock trial wave functions with an effective interaction strength $U$, which is optimized self-consistently within AFQMC. Large supercells are studied, with twist averaged boundary conditions as needed, to reach the thermodynamic limit. We find that the nearest-neighbor spin correlation always increases with the interaction strength $U$, contrary to the finite-temperature behavior where a maximum is reached at a finite $U$ value. We also observe a change of sign in the next-nearest-neighbor spin correlation with increasing density, which is a consequence of the buildup of the long-range antiferromagnetic correlation. We expect the results presented in this paper to serve as a benchmark as lower temperatures are reached in ultracold atom experiments.

Equilibration Dynamics of Strongly Interacting Bosons in 2D Lattices with Disorder.

Motivated by recent optical lattice experiments [J.-y. Choi et al., Science 352, 1547 (2016)SCIEAS0036-807510.1126/science.aaf8834], we study the dynamics of strongly interacting bosons in the presence of disorder in two dimensions. We show that Gutzwiller mean-field theory (GMFT) captures the main experimental observations, which are a result of the competition between disorder and interactions. Our findings highlight the difficulty in distinguishing glassy dynamics, which can be captured by GMFT, and many-body localization, which cannot be captured by GMFT, and indicate the need for further experimental studies of this system.

Direct Lattice Shaking of Bose Condensates: Finite Momentum Superfluids.

We address band engineering in the presence of periodic driving by numerically shaking a lattice containing a bosonic condensate. By not restricting to simplified band structure models we are able to address arbitrary values of the shaking frequency, amplitude, and interaction strengths g. For "near-resonant" shaking frequencies with moderate g, a quantum phase transition to a finite momentum superfluid is obtained with Kibble-Zurek scaling and quantitative agreement with experiment. We use this successful calibration as a platform to support a more general investigation of the interplay between (one particle) Floquet theory and the effects associated with arbitrary g. Band crossings lead to superfluid destabilization, but where this occurs depends on g in a complicated fashion.

High numerical aperture (NA = 0.92) objective lens for imaging and addressing of cold atoms.

We have designed, built, and characterized a high-resolution objective lens that is compatible with an ultrahigh vacuum environment. The lens system exploits the principle of the Weierstrass sphere solid immersion lens to reach a numerical aperture (NA) of 0.92. Tailored to the requirements of optical lattice experiments, the objective lens features a relatively long working distance of 150 μm. Our two-lens design is remarkably insensitive to mechanical tolerances in spite of the large NA. Additionally, we demonstrate the application of a tapered optical fiber tip, as used in scanning near-field optical microscopy, to measure the point spread function (PSF) of a high NA optical system. From the PSF, we infer the wavefront aberration for the entire field of view of about 75 μm. Pushing the NA of an optical system to its ultimate limit enables novel applications in quantum technologies such as quantum control of atoms in optical microtraps with an unprecedented spatial resolution and photon collection efficiency.

Remnant Geometric Hall Response in a Quantum Quench.

Out-of-equilibrium systems can host phenomena that transcend the usual restrictions of equilibrium systems. Here, we unveil how out-of-equilibrium states, prepared via a quantum quench in a two-band system, can exhibit a nonzero Hall-type current-a remnant Hall response-even when the instantaneous Hamiltonian is time reversal symmetric (in contrast to equilibrium Hall currents). Interestingly, the remnant Hall response arises from the coherent dynamics of the wave function that retain a remnant of its quantum geometry postquench, and can be traced to processes beyond linear response. Quenches in two-band Dirac systems are natural venues for realizing remnant Hall currents, which exist when either mirror or time-reversal symmetry are broken (before or after the quench). Its long time persistence, sensitivity to symmetry breaking, and decoherence-type relaxation processes allow it to be used as a sensitive diagnostic of the complex out-of-equilibrium dynamics readily controlled and probed in cold-atomic optical lattice experiments.

Domain-wall melting as a probe of many-body localization

Motivated by a recent optical-lattice experiment by Choi et al.[Science 352, 1547 (2016)], we discuss how domain-wall melting can be used to investigate many-body localization. First, by considering noninteracting fermion models, we demonstrate that experimentally accessible measures are sensitive to localization and can thus be used to detect the delocalization-localization transition, including divergences of characteristic length scales. Second, using extensive time-dependent density matrix renormalization group simulations, we study fermions with repulsive interactions on a chain and a two-leg ladder. The extracted critical disorder strengths agree well with the ones found in existing literature.

Three-dimensional Hubbard model in the thermodynamic limit

We employ the numerical linked-cluster expansion to study finite-temperature properties of the uniform cubic lattice Hubbard model in the thermodynamic limit for a wide range of interaction strengths and densities. We carry out the expansion to the 9th order and find that the convergence of the series extends to lower temperatures as the strength of the interaction increases, giving us access to regions of the parameter space that are difficult to reach by most other numerical methods. We study the precise trends in the specific heat, the double occupancy, and magnetic correlations at temperatures as low as 0.2 of the hopping amplitude in the strong-coupling regime. We show that in this regime, accurate estimates for transition temperatures to the N\'{e}el ordered phase, in agreement with the predicted asymptotic behavior, can be deduced from the low-temperature magnetic structure factor. We also find evidence for possible instability to the magnetically ordered phase away from, but close to, half filling. Our results have important implications for parametrizing fermionic systems in optical lattice experiments and for benchmarking other numerical methods.

π-Flux Dirac Bosons and Topological Edge Excitations in a Bosonic Chiralp-Wave Superfluid

We study the topological properties of elementary excitations in a staggered p_{x}±ip_{y} Bose-Einstein condensate realized in recent orbital optical lattice experiments. The condensate wave function may be viewed as a configuration space variant of the famous p_{x}+ip_{y} momentum space order parameter of strontium ruthenate superconductors. We show that its elementary excitation spectrum possesses Dirac bosons with π Berry flux. Remarkably, if we induce a population imbalance between the p_{x}+ip_{y} and p_{x}-ip_{y} condensate components, a gap opens up in the excitation spectrum resulting in a nonzero Chern invariant and topologically protected edge excitation modes. We give a detailed description of how our proposal can be implemented with standard experimental technology.

Precise determination of lattice phase shifts and mixing angles

We introduce a general and accurate method for determining lattice phase shifts and mixing angles, which is applicable to arbitrary, non-cubic lattices. Our method combines angular momentum projection, spherical wall boundaries and an adjustable auxiliary potential. This allows us to construct radial lattice wave functions and to determine phase shifts at arbitrary energies. For coupled partial waves, we use a complex-valued auxiliary potential that breaks time-reversal invariance. We benchmark our method using a system of two spin-1/2 particles interacting through a finite-range potential with a strong tensor component. We are able to extract phase shifts and mixing angles for all angular momenta and energies, with precision greater than that of extant methods. We discuss a wide range of applications from nuclear lattice simulations to optical lattice experiments.

Ultra-precise holographic beam shaping for microscopic quantum control.

High-resolution addressing of individual ultracold atoms, trapped ions or solid state emitters allows for exquisite control in quantum optics experiments. This becomes possible through large aperture magnifying optics that project microscopic light patterns with diffraction limited performance. We use programmable amplitude holograms generated on a digital micromirror device to create arbitrary microscopic beam shapes with full phase and amplitude control. The system self-corrects for aberrations of up to several λ and reduces them to λ/50, leading to light patterns with a precision on the 10-4 level. We demonstrate aberration-compensated beam shaping in an optical lattice experiment and perform single-site addressing in a quantum gas microscope for 87Rb.

Measuring multipartite entanglement through dynamic susceptibilities

Entanglement plays a central role in our understanding of quantum many body physics, and is fundamental in characterising quantum phases and quantum phase transitions. Developing protocols to detect and quantify entanglement of many-particle quantum states is thus a key challenge for present experiments. Here, we show that the quantum Fisher information, representing a witness for genuinely multipartite entanglement, becomes measurable for thermal ensembles via the dynamic susceptibility, i.e., with resources readily available in present cold atomic gas and condensed-matter experiments. This moreover establishes a fundamental connection between multipartite entanglement and many-body correlations contained in response functions, with profound implications close to quantum phase transitions. There, the quantum Fisher information becomes universal, allowing us to identify strongly entangled phase transitions with a divergent multipartiteness of entanglement. We illustrate our framework using paradigmatic quantum Ising models, and point out potential signatures in optical-lattice experiments.